Page 63 of Rescued

Gabe’s expression shifts, softening as he speaks. “His parents are a lot like mine,” he says quietly, almost like he’s talking to himself. “He’s been too worried about them disowning him to come out of the closet. But, you know, I’ve always thought…if someone loves you, they love you whether you’re gay or straight—parent, friend, even God.”

The words hang in the air, heavy with truth. Adam and I both nod, because what else is there to say? Gabe’s right.He’s always right when it comes to this kind of thing.

We fall into step, heading toward the hospital entrance. The automatic doors hiss open, and we slip inside, the fluorescent lights casting a sterile glare over everything. The place smells like disinfectant and something faintly metallic—blood, maybe, or just my imagination running wild.

Keeping our voices down, we make our way through the quiet halls. When we reach Todd’s room, we pause, exchanging silent glances. The sign clearly saysone visitor at a time, but none of us care. Rules like that don’t mean much when your friend’s lying in a hospital bed, bruised and broken.

When we step into Todd’s private room, the sight of him makes my breath catch. His face is swollen and bruised, tubes and wires connecting him to machines, and bandages covering God knows what injuries. It’s a lot to take in. Gabe freezes, and the tension in his body ratchets up until it feels like it’s going to break.

“Gabe,” I call softly, stepping closer. His eyes are locked on Todd, his expression a storm of anger and pain. “Gabe,” I say again, but he doesn’t respond. It’s as if he doesn’t hear me.

The intensity of his emotions burn through our link, slamming into me like a physical force. My wolf stirs, agitated and ready to fight. I step in front of Gabe, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to meet my gaze.

“Gabe, look at me. You need to calm down,” I say firmly, even as my voice trembles under the weight of his rage. His green eyes finally snap to mine, and I see the fury there—hot, untamed, and desperate.“I can feel your anger, love. It’s burning me up. My wolf wants out, wants to protect you, to destroy whatever is hurting you. If you don’t rein this in, I’m going to lose control.”I make sure not to say this out loud as Adam has no idea of my wolf side and now is definitely not the time to let it out.

Gabe’s chest heaves as he takes a deep breath, his gaze flickering between me and Todd’s battered form. “I can’t…” he whispers, the words thick with emotion.

“You can,” I insist, stepping closer. “Right now, Todd needs us here, steady and focused. You don’t want to add to his pain.”

I feel the fight leave him slowly, his body sagging as he exhales shakily. His hand reaches up to grip my arm, grounding himself in the contact. “Okay,” he says, though the edge in his voice hasn’t completely softened. “Okay.”

Behind me, Adam lets out a breath he must have been holding. “Jesus, Gabe. I thought you were going to explode or something.”

Gabe rubs a hand over his face. “Just…it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

But it’s not nothing, and he’s not fine. I can feel the turmoil inside him, barely leashed. I wrap an arm around his waist, pulling him close. “You’re not alone in this,” I remind him, and he leans into me, just enough to let me know he heard.

Todd stirs faintly on the bed, a pained sound escaping his lips. Adam is at his side in an instant, checking the monitors and murmuring reassurances.

Together, we walk to the side of Todd’s hospital bed, both stunned by the extent of his injuries. Wrapping my arm around Gabe, I feel his shoulders tremble as tears slip down his face. Leaning down, he touches Todd’s arm lightly.

“You need to wake up, buddy. I know you’ve got to be hurting like hell, even if they have you all doped up. We’re going to find whoever did this, Todd.”

I rub Gabe’s back gently as we stare at the purple, swollen knot on Todd’s jaw. Gabe glances over at Adam, his voice soft but steady. “The jaw fracture must not be too severe, thank God. His jaw isn’t wired shut or whatever it is they do on those medical shows on TV.”

Adam nods, brushing a hand lightly over Todd’s unbruised cheek. “It’s a mild fracture. Gonna hurt like hell, and the swelling will take days, maybe even weeks, to go down. He’s very lucky though. It could have been much, much worse.”

Gabe’s gaze shifts to Todd’s hands, inspecting them. He seems relieved not to see any breaks, though the bruises on Todd’s forearms suggest defensive wounds. Gabe exhales heavily, his frustration palpable. “Did the sheriff come by to..?. Well, I reckon he couldn’t get a statement, at least not from Todd.”

Adam’s face darkens with anger. “Oh, yeah. Fucking batshit insane asshole finally came by about an hour ago. Said he’d interview Todd when he could talk and told me Todd shouldn’t be surprised by what happened.” His voice rises slightly, trembling with suppressed fury. “You know, because he was hanging out with those kinds of people. A group that now apparently includes me. Not that I give a shit. Kaufman also said he didn’t find any hint of who did this. But I don’t know how hard he actually looked.”

The disgust in Adam’s voice is thick, and I can feel Gabe bristling beside me.

I place a hand on Gabe’s shoulder, grounding him, but his gaze stays fixed on Todd, as though willing him to wake up. He runs his fingers through his hair, frustration pouring off him in waves. A knot forms in my chest as I see him struggling to keep it together. The anger, the worry—it’s like it’s eating him alive. And it’s pulling at me, too.

“We need to step back, babe. This isn’t helping you or Todd,”I say to him softly through the link.

Out loud, I suggest, “We better step out before one of the nurses comes in and raises a ruckus.” Taking his elbow gently, I steer him toward the door.

The three of us leave Todd’s room and head to the waiting room. Adam drops heavily into one of the hard plastic chairs, looking like he’s about to collapse.

Gabe, ever the caregiver, steps forward. “Adam, why don’t you go home, shower, and get some rest? We can sit up here for a while.”

Adam starts to shake his head, the protest forming on his lips, but I cut him off. “No, Adam, Gabe is right. You need to take care of yourself, or you aren’t going to be much good to Todd.”

Gabe nods in agreement, his tone firm but kind. “Let us handle this for now. Why don’t you let Mika give you a ride home? Rest for a bit, then call us when you’re ready to come back. One of us can come get you.”

Adam hesitates, his eyes darting between us, as though weighing the offer. I see the exhaustion in his face, the heavy slump of his shoulders.

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